Larry Obhof to continue as state Senate president

OLUMBUS — The Senate majority caucus unanimously elected Sen. Larry Obhof, R-Montville Township, Wednesday to a second term as president of the Ohio Senate for the 133rd General Assembly.

Obhof, who represents the 22nd District, has served as the leader of the General Assembly’s upper chamber since January 2017. Originally appointed in 2011, he was elected by large margins in 2012 and again in 2016.

He has been a member of the Senate’s leadership team since 2013, serving as majority whip and president pro tempore prior to leading the chamber.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue leading the Ohio Senate, and I appreciate the confidence of my colleagues,” Obhof said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Governor-elect Mike DeWine and our colleagues in the House to continue to improve the lives of the Ohioans who have entrusted us to represent them.”

The Republican majority also re-elected two other members of the leadership team, including Sen. Bob Peterson, R-Washington Court House, as president pro tempore; and Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, as majority floor leader. Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, was newly elected as majority whip.

“Over the last two years, we have worked through challenging issues while keeping our focus on what is important to the people of Ohio,” Obhof said. “We will continue to focus on maintaining fiscally responsible, pro-growth policies while investing in critical areas like education, job training and fighting the opiate crisis.”

Members of the leadership team will be officially elected by their colleagues and sworn-in during the opening session of the Ohio Senate on Jan. 7. They will serve in those leadership positions through the end of 2020.